Hell's Angel
by MidnightSuburbia
Summary: Fifty years ago, 1956, Jimmy Neutron was murdered and sent to Hell. Upon meeting a strange angel, he is given a second chance to redeem himself and go to Heaven. His mission: to make one girl truly happy. The only catch: he can't fall in love. JC
1. Prologue

**Hell's Angel**

By: Krista A. (MidnightSuburbia)

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Author's note: This is oficially my first actual chapter story! I mean... besides Bittersweet. But that's only two chapters (with an epilogue, when finished). So nope, this isn't a one-shot. Warning: This chapter has violence. As in, whipping violence. Mature readers only. I'm advising you right **here**. So if you flame me for violence, remember, I WARNED YOU. Don't say I didn't. And yes. I know the prologue's short.

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Prologue: Rebirth

The blazing heat was antagonizing. Sweat plastered his aching body as he shriveled up into a ball, another red hot whip lashing at the sensitive skin on his back. Another wound. Just like the others that were plastered mercilessly upon the flesh of what once was a teenage boy. It smacked and cracked, sending another shot of pain up and down his torn soul. Clenching his eyes shut, crimson blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth, streaming in a river, only to drip from his chin and collect in a small puddle on his right leg.

Ropes burned and blistered worn wrists, and a boy hissed out in rage as he bent over the low pillar his hands were bound to. A metallic substance could be tasted, and he only realized that it was more blood. "Had enough, Jimmy?" a low voice laughed cruelly. The boy known as Jimmy clenched his eyes shut, grounding his teeth. Preparing for pain. The man cackled-- _no_. Not a man; the Devil. Satan himself cackled to the helpless boy. "James Isaac Neutron... you poor, poor, screwed thing. Hm, how long have you been stuck here again?"

Jimmy growled at Satan, responding in hate, "Too long, you twisted-!" The demon glided over to Jimmy, giving him a dangerously hard punch to the stomach. Doubling over due to the contributed pain, old memories flashed through his mind, but he ignored them. They were almost sickening.

Satan sneered at him. "You pathetic weakling! You bled for that one girl, only to end up here?" God's fallen minion erupted, practically laughing, and he cut the rope around Jimmy's wrists, only to throw him into smoldering hot coals. Letting out a blood-curdling scream, Jimmy squirmed to be released, but the Devil just dug his foot into the side of Jimmy's head, pressing him down further. He was...**drowning**. In the flames, and never ending hatred. If only...

Satan picked the genius up by his greasy brunette locks, tossing his dirty and scorched body off the heated rubble. "Face it, _genius_: You will rot here in Hell. Those memories, and your pain, will never end." _Whip._

"Satan, you don't..." Jimmy paused and coughed, wheezing a bit, then continued, "you don't rule over hell! You're just like the rest of us." The Devil twisted his lip up in discontent, ungodly rotting teeth poking outward. Satan loomed over Jimmy for a second, jerking him up by his neck and hoisting him up to eye level.

"I may be like everyone else, and I may not rule over anything, but just remember... in the end, I'm the one who punishes you," he sadistically pointed out, dropping Jimmy like he was a disgusting animal into the flames. Delivering one last heated blow to the boy's back, Satan retreated.

There the once proud genius lie, eyes clenched tightly in pain and agony. He gave a whisper, voice straining, "If only... I could do things over. A second chance. Everything would be different." For a moment, the only thing he could see were the flames, and the only thing he could _feel _was the swelling sensation in his back. He could hear the flames crackling all around him, and shouts of agony.

But, he swore, as soon as that moment ended, a blue light illuminated and sparkled, creating a light so innocent and pure, Jimmy had to blink to adjust his eyesight. He had not seen something so gorgeous in ages. "W-Who are you?" he hoarsely questioned. The light glimmered intensely, but then slowly began to dim down. The origin of it began to float down softly, the image becoming clearer to Jimmy. There was a figure of a woman draped in a light blue cloak, a billowing vanilla dress beneath it, and snow white wings flapping overhead. Jimmy did not admit it aloud, but he was a bit scared of the shadow cast over the face of the figure.

"Who am I?" the voice of a woman questioned back and gave a heart filled laugh. "Why, I am an angel, dear boy," she responded, tilting her head to the right. "And you, sweet one, are wondering why I am here, correct?" Jimmy gave a puzzled look, slowly bobbing his head up and down against the sharp, glass covered ground, wincing as it carved itself into his cheek. "I am here to offer you a... second chance."

Jimmy gave a hysterical laugh. "Is this a joke?"

Sighing, the woman tried to restart. "No, this is not a joke. Angels would not pull such cruel pranks, and temper with the flame of hope. You truly are miserable here, no? If I gave you a chance... would you dare take it?" She waited for a response, but only captured his stare. He was obviously waiting for her to offer him the challenge. Her full red lips formed a gleeful smile, and a staff appeared into her thin, dainty left hand.

The large staff was made of the most untarnished silver he had ever laid eyes on, hours worth of intricate designs placed upon it. At the top held a glass ball, but it was not clear. Instead, it held a swirling mass of sapphire blue and white clouds, which she waved gracefully in front of him, letting a stream of colorful mist fill the air. Before long, the fog created a mirror-like image.

Inside held a towheaded girl, laying on the ground, head in between her crossed arms on a wooden floor and bawling her heart out. Crystal tears spilled from her emerald eyes, and she tried the best that she could to wipe them away, but all in vain. "You see this girl, correct? Her name is Cynthia Aurora Vortex. She has lived quite the unhappy life. If you could find a way to make her truly happy, you would earn your wings and be sent to Heaven. Do you understand so far?" In reply, the boy mumbled out in the positive. "Good. But there's a catch: _You must not fall in love_. You will be sent back down into Hell if so. James, do you accept these conditions?"

Jimmy, who was beginning to feel drowsy all of the sudden, whispered out a yes. The angel erased the image with her staff, making it disappear along with the mirror, and clapped her hands. "Excellent." Drawing a silver chain from underneath her dress with a small glass tube in the shape of a cross, she uncorked the opening to the top, sprinkled a bit of sparkling blue powder unto her fingers, and with a wisp of breath, blew it over Jimmy.

The brunette headed boy's eyes closed as he floated upwards off the ground. Chest lunging forward, head leaning back, all of his scars seemed to fade, healing themselves without seconds to spare. He was being replenished by the second. Rebirthed. A bright white light flashed and came flying from seemingly no where, burying itself into Jimmy's chest. "Do you feel that?" questioned the angel. "That... is life."

He could feel it. _Life_. His body began to pulsate. This was something he had not experienced in fifty years. It felt...unusually wonderful. "Have a safe trip, my love," the angel whispered as the image of Jimmy faded from Hell. By now, he was certainly in the mortal world.

Growling was heard behind her seconds after Jimmy disappeared. "You!" it snarled. Slipping through the shadows, Satan lunged for her, but she easily flew out of reach, her dress fluttering behind her and showing her polished sapphire slippers. "Why have you been sent here? That boy doesn't deserve a second chance!"

The angel giggled, waving her hand off as if what he said was nothing. "Of course he deserves a second chance. Everyone does. Besides, the only person who could accomplish such a mission would be James Isaac Neutron. After all, he can do anything." And with that said, the mysterious figure gleamed, and sparkling with brilliance, vanished into thin air.

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Author's note: How did you like the prologue? Good? Bad? Is there anything I could to to improve it? Please review. For me? It makes me very happy.

-MidnightSuburbia (Krista)


	2. Chapter 1: Streetlight

**Hell's Angel**

By MidnightSuburbia (Krista A.)

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Author's Note: Sorry about not updating sooner. School just started up again. Blah. But don't worry, I'm planning every chapter, so it should be a bit easier for me to keep track of what I want to do for each update.

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**Chapter 1**- Bloody Nightmares and an Angel's Omen

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_Stillness_._ He could not hear screams of torture and brutality_, _or see the familiar burning flames of Hell_. _In fact, there apparently was nothing **to** _see. _Everything was a full shadow over his eyes_._ It was continuous._ _The black pit of unconsciousness went on and on. Literally perpetual darkness. Was there no light to this eeirie place? _

_For once in his life, Jimmy's thoughts clouded together. Nothing was just quite clear. He tried to use logic; to put two and two together. Like molding clay, or piecing a puzzle. But this was no ordinary problem. It was like a fractured state of mind. The only thing he quite frankly remembered was a knife. As he processed the glinting blade through his brain, his stomach began to throb._

_Now... there was mist grazing past the his ankles. A soft breeze blew through his hair, and the silhouette of a girl walked from the darkness. Her chocolate brown eyes hinted sorrow, and they welled up with tears. "Jimmy..." her voice echoed off into the distance. "Where have you been? I missed you, my love," she extended her slender arm. His eyes widened in disbelief. This girl looked quite shockingly like the face of the old. A shadow of the past._

_Reaching out, he pulled the girl into an warm embrace, and nestled his face into her vanilla scented hair. "I missed you, too..." he kissed her forehead. Just as those words were whispered past his lips and through the still air, something pierced his stomach. A knife. Blood spurted from his open wound, and a mixture of pain and confusion was etched upon his face. She pushed Jimmy to the ground, and straddled him, pulling him up by the collar so he could face her._

_Her knuckles turned white, and face flushed with fury, she erupted, "You double-crosser! Everything we had...was a lie. I can't believe I fell for your trickery! MURDERER!" _

Those words played again and again. There was no stopping them.

_Murderer..._

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Jimmy woke up with a startle, jerking his body awake from the nightmare. His face was drenched with salty sweat, and he shivered as an icy breeze rippled in waves past his skin. Rubbing them to earn as much warmth as humanly possible, he examined his settings with caution. An alley. A long road of space between two brick-built buildings. Dead leaves and newspapers fluttered and scraped the dusty ground around him.

With much trouble, he lifted himself dizzily from the filthy cement floor. Peering at his clothes, he squinted. The wardrobe he sported looked so different from his regularly harnessed attire. He wore a plain black shirt, in which the sleeves went to his elbows. The pants were uncomfortable and unfamiliar. They were blue, and made of rough and irritating material.

Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair, but quickly stopped, realizing that even his hairstyle was different. Greasy bangs hung limply at the lids of his eyes, and the rest of his hair was combed back to his neck. What happened to the familiar whippy-dip formation he had loved? The one that everyone seemed to tease him about back at his school?

A futuristic car whisked by, and Jimmy pushed himself against the wall. How long had he resided in Hell? Retrieving the crumpled and dirty newspapers from the ground, he scanned for a date. Any date. But what he saw shocked him enough to get his heart pounding and pounding against his heaving chest. He gasped for air, and nodded his head in the negative, as if to not accept the information given.

Throwing the light, ink-blotched paper into the air, he ran around the right corner of the building from the alleyway. The newspaper, lonely and forgotten, fluttered miserably through the crisp air and onto the ground. Viewable by anyone who passed, it said...

_'November 29th, 2006'_

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A brunette-headed boy rushed around the busy city, skittering past the towns-people like a lost puppy searching for its owner. Nothing was the same. The city of Retroville had changed dramatically. Every building, every car, every_ face _was strange to him. Frustrated, he stopped and planted his face into his hands, arms shaking. And then, he almost dubbed himself crazy hearing it, he thought he heard a softly soothing voice ring out, _'Don't give up yet...'_ Her. 

Jimmy tucked up his emotions, letting them reside in his chest, all bottled up from the outer world. The world that would judge him wrongly if he kept acting a certain way. After that, he kept going. Walking, watching, waiting for anything familiar. He just observed. It was a like a strange dream, everything foreign and ahead of his time.

The cobble crumbled beneath his aching feet. Streets became more and more alike to the past-- no, correction, _his_ past, with each painful step. _Crunch. _

He had been walking for such a long time. Minutes seemed like hours, where it was almost as if he had been traveling for days. From dawn to dusk, he had searched non-stop for any hint of his old life; a chunk of evidence that would lead him to believe that he still had a piece of the past.

The sun began to lower itself to the ground, the bright ball of fire extinguishing for the night. Its last few golden rays peaked beyond the horizon, sending a rainbow of colors aglow, before finally vanishing into nothingness. And, not after long, the whole street was a ghastly shade of black, as if death itself were straying an eye across the hollow town.

The street again was lifeless and empty. Just like it was in his nightmare. Everything was completely covered in a shadow.

Right when Jimmy was about to lose all hope, a single street light flickered. On and off it went, almost as if considering to keep itself on. Finally, it kept the blaze running. By itself, it stood glowing, the sidewalk illuminated with its heat, casting deformed shadows along with it.

His eyes glazed over, like he was in a trance, and he glided towards the only lit lamp in the neighborhood. Peeking up at it as if it were an angel in disguise, words blurred together on a small green sign. 'Cherry Orchard Drive.' His street. His home. His death. His life. Finally, a familiar essence to breathe in.

He took it as an omen.

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Author's note: Thanks to all those awesome reviewers, by the way! I was kind of disappointed to only get four reviews, but they rocked my socks.. :) 

If you don't review, I'm just going to keep on writing. Making stories is my passion, and so be it, I'll keep going on. Reviews do help, though. They inspire me to update faster.

Thanks to all you quite lovely reviewers!:

**Gamergirlv**

**ThE SwiMminG GuitArisT**

**Stay-Away**

**theshadowswhisper**

You guys make the rocking world go round!


	3. Chapter 2: A Message Through the Window

**Hell's Angel**

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Chapter 2: A Message Through the Window

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Author's Note: ...Yes, I am perfectly aware that I have not updated this story in a hell of a long time, and I apologize. My life has been very busy, but I just got out of school, so I plan to dedicate my whole summer towards this story! By the way, I re-read my prologue and first chapter, and I realized something... they suck! So be prepared for writing with a lot more action. I'm trying to improve.

In other news, I have created a site for this story. If you would like to see it, tell me in a review. That is, if I have any loyal reviewers left. I can understand if I don't, heh. Anyway, here's Chapter 2.

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"DAMMIT!"

_The door to his house: boarded._

He began kicking the wood nailed to the front entrance, rage swollen into each indent with the foot. Pulling and tugging, he ripped piece by piece off. Splinters prickled his fingers and left a stinging sensation, but he paid no notice. Only anger engulfed his system. When the door was bare, he wiggled the knob.

_Door to his house: locked_.

Thoughts filled his head as he pounded the door with the iron fury of his fists. Still maddened with the door and himself, he put the door to his back, slowly slumping down in defeat. As soon as he sat, his butt landed on a lump. Reaching under the mat on his porch, his fingers glided against something cold. He yanked his hand back up and held the tarnished silver object up in the moonlight before his face. It was his old spare house key...

Jimmy's eyes revealed a small hint of relief as he pressed the ice cold metal to his lips. Thanking the heavens above, he turned on his knees and quickly slipped the key into its partner in crime, turning it a couple times before he heard a scrape, which signified the unlocked door. When it creaked wide open his eyes bulged in astonishment. Dust flooded from the house entryway, filling his nostrils and forcing him to hack up a fit.

Waving around in hopes of cleaning the air did absolutely nothing. Taking a few frightened steps forward, he began engineering his way around the house. _'Everything seems like a dream... but all of it is so familiar to me,' _his thoughts were quiet whispers in the back of his noggin. Other thoughts filled and echoed through his head numerous times, like _'Where are my parents_?' or _'Why was this house abandoned and not sold_?'and many other curious words.

Continuing his shuffling and groping of the walls, he tripped over old and rotten crates. As he toppled on top of them they cracked beneath the pressure of his fall and body weight, sending him spiraling into a pile of old clothes, duck figurines, and chipped wood. Grimacing as his left arm prickled, he stole a peak downwards only to find that his arm had released a stream of blood. Clutching his arm in pain his arm he was surprised to find small beams of blue light flashing from in between his fingertips. In shock he scooted back and stared at his healed arm, blood still staining his fingers.

Confusion etched across his face, he sat for a few silent moments and then regained his composure. "None of this makes sense," he hissed as he rifiled through the worn clothes, which he soon identified to be his father's. "I don't even know what happened to my own parents!" he screamed, throwing half of the broken crate at a nearby wall only to smash again. When he looked back down in frustration he spotted a lonely envelope crumpled beneath a couple duck sweaters. "What's this?" he asked quizically. It was faded and tinted yellow, thin enough that it could rip at any given second. Taking out the message and unfolding it, a quick skim concluded with anything but well being.

"Death certificate of William Hugh Neutron, 1930-1981. Cause of death:_ heart attack_?" Jimmy's breath caught in his throat along with a large lump, threatening to escape his lips in a sob. The paper crinkled in his progressively tightening grip until he poked holes through it. "No..." his voice came out high and hoarse. His shoulders shook and he hung his head low in mourning. Slowly he sank to the ground. A tear rolled down the side of his ghostly white. Another person he loved... dead.

Jimmy fell into a restless sleep, nightmares filling his head.

---

_Moaning of soft sobs escaped from people gathered around a small coffin. Colorful leaves danced along the wind and settled to the ground on that dreary day. Men held women in their arms, children sniffled, and babies wailed. There were eulogies told about the woman in the casket, which was Jimmy's birth mother. As one man stepped away, a petite, frail little woman took his place and began her stories of the deceased woman. "I knew Elizabeth very well..."_

_Jimmy, four years old, peered up to his father. "Daddy, where did mommy go to?" His father's grip on his hand remained firm as his father stared straight ahead, meloncholy etched into his rough face. He hushed Jimmy and kept paying attention to the speaker. "Daddy, why is mommy in that box?" _

_"She was very polite and kind-hearted..."_

_Edward, his father, glanced down towards him and encouraged silence. "This isn't the right time to ask these questions, James." Jimmy pouted his lip in responce but remained quiet for the rest of the ceremony. When the speaker concluded her speech, trumpets sounded and they slowly lowered the body into the muddy ground. His blue eyes became rounded, and they looked up towards his father's wetting brown ones._

_"Why are they putting mommy in the ground, and why are they shoveling dirt on her?" Jimmy shrieked as he raced between the audience, desperately trying to get to his mother. "Stop it! Let my mommy out, let her go! She doesn't want to be buried! Mommy, get out of the box!" His father quickly weaved through all the people, catching the little boy around the waist. Edward lifted Jimmy up and and hugged him to his chest. _

_Cradling him, Edward tried to break the bad news down to make it sound mild, but the words just collapsed like bricks and landed on the toddler's head. "James, your mother," he paused and gently nestled Jimmy into the crook of his neck, "your mother is dead."_

----

The first golden rays of the morning shimmered past the boarded window, and birds chirped a melody beyond them. Jimmy's heavy eyelids opened wearily as truth stuck him once more. His birth parents were gone, and now his adopted parents. The genius had the sense of hopeless as he pushed himself from the ground, his whole body having feeling as if they were being forced down by weights. As he fumbled towards the kitchen, a flash of morning light hit the dusty table from where he stood in the doorway, illuminating another paper.

Picking it up and scanning it, his heart rate increased by the second. That letter held the confirmation of his adopted mother, Judy's, boarding in a retirement home many states away. Jimmy was in a stupor as he gently placed the paper down. Eybrows crinkling in confusion, he forced himself to sit in cobweb-covered chair. Judy could very well still be alive. He might not be as alone as he originally thought. A smile stretched and put dimples on his cheeks, even though his eyes were puffy and red from crying. "Thank god."

Scraping the chair backwards as he stood up, he stretched as he made his way upstairs to find some old clothes. Time to go job hunting. No use in sitting around and moping when he could be getting money in order to find his mother. He would also find the nearest high school and enroll. He must have been placed back in his old hometown for a reason. He concluded that Cynthia Vortex lived somewhere in the city of Retroville, Texas, and he was going to find her. Even if it meant going back to Hell twiceover to pursue his dream of reaching Heaven.

---

Cindy yawned and stretched her arms upward, getting up from her sitting position on her carpteted floor to open her blinds. Libby, her best friend, rolled off her bed and fumbled to reach for another pen. "Girl, I can't believe fall vacation is almost over! Back to school..." she sighed, scribbling some words onto her notepad. They had hosted an all-nighter to plan what they were going to do once they got back to Retroville High Scool.

"Yeah, but we're going to make a big entrance once we're back," Cindy smirked. They were the most popular girls at RHS and not about to give up on that position. Cindy drew back her heavy pink curtains.

Libby laughed, "I can't wait to see all of the jealous glares we'll be gettin'! What are you going to wear, by the way?" she said, pen tapping the notepad, showing that she was taking notes.

Cindy tapped her chin and then spun around, flinging her arms up for dramatic effect. "I've got it! I'll wear a black skirt above my knees (pleated, of course), with a light green tank top, and a dark green scarf to drape on my shoulders that will match my eyes," she said, snapping. "Perfect-o. And before you can ask further questions, hair tied back, and suede dark green, thin-heeled ankle boots."

"Girl, I like the way you added the scarf. It'll really help our entrance (not to mention it'll make the dance a lot funner). What a way to start school with a bang," Libby giggled. Nodding, Cindy turned back around and slowly rotated the blinds open. She gasped and glued her eyes outside. "What, what is it?" Libby asked, standing up and running over to Cindy's side. Her eyes became wide. "No fuh-reaking way!"

Cindy gave a loud whisper, "I thought that house was deserted years ago! Who's that guy walking out with the weird looking clothes?" she asked, referring to his blue buttoned up shirt, tucked into black cotton pants.

"I dunno! I kind of wondered if anyone was ever going to buy that house..." Libby said, shocked.

Cindy nodded her head. "No, no one would ever buy it, remember? It's haunted. Fifty years ago, a boy was murdered in that house. 1956," Cindy said, remembering the information she had scanned when she read about the incident in the library. "Something fishy is going on, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

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Thank you to those who read Chapter two. A review would be well appreciated!

-Krista A.


	4. Chapter 3: Don't You Wish?

**Hell's Angel**

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_Chapter 3: Don't You Wish?_

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Author's Note:  Once again, update time! I didn't get this chapter out as quickly as I would've liked to, considering my computer hates me and erased about a third of it a couple days ago and I had to rewrite it. Talk about a "Grr" situation, eh? I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Jimmy Neutron had never been one for wandering around without some sort of indication to where he was going, but this day in particular was a bit different. Only yesterday had he discovered that he was fifty years in the future, with no where to go, no money, and certainly no idea where this girl by the name of Cindy was. Now he was off looking for employment in a town that had probably changed dramatically. However, he had one advantage: photographic memory. So with each new lane he took, he marked it out and assembled a map inside of his head.

As Jimmy strolled down the streets of present day Retroville, his wandering eyes spotted a large building with a rather bright electric sign. "The Candy Bar?" he read aloud, looking at it with puzzlement. Something about that building seemed oddly familiar, but he decided to not question anything further (to the dismay of the little voice in the back of his head telling him to explore the shop). He continued onward, peering up at the old fashioned street lamps and kids whirring by on their bicycles, laughing and shouting in amusement. Feeling a little worn out from all the walking, he slumped into a wooden bench.

"UltraLords for sale, UltraLords for sale!" said a Mexican teenager, waving purple dolls in nearby pedestrian's faces. "C'mon, there's got to be someone that wants my UltraLord collection," he groaned, rolling a wagon full of the same dolls behind him. Jimmy gave him a clearly weirded out stare as the spikey head came before him. He got on his knee. "My name's Sheen, and please, oh please, buy one!" he asked, hands clasped together.

Coughing awkwardly, Jimmy responded, "I don't have any money right now. I'm kind of going job hunting, so..." he trailed off, standing up and getting ready to leave. What was up with this guy, and why was he selling toys on the street?

Sheen ran towards the already pacing Jimmy, catching up and shuffling at his side. "So, if you find a job, are you saying that you'll buy an UltraLord... or two?" Sheen asked, not feeling the unwanting creeping around the atmosphere. His wagon scuffed behind him as he continued pestering poor Jimmy into purchasing a plastic item. Or two, apparently. Jimmy had half a mind to snap and shout 'I don't have time to spend talking about buying dolls!' but he bit down on his tongue and restrained.

Stopping cold in his tracks, Jimmy whirled to face the hispanic boy. "Wait, why _are_ you selling these dolls on the street instead of in a toy shop?" Jimmy sighed.

"ULTRALORD IS NOT A DOLL!" Sheen shouted, horrified. "I mean, he is a highly valuable action figurine, and I'm not selling them because I wanna' or anything. Ya see, I like this hot chica I like but _she_ doesn't like the fact that I "play with dolls" or whatever (dolls, psht, right). She's kind of in the popular crowd... and I'm just a dork with a couple hundred UltraLord action figures," Sheen rambled, telling Jimmy more about the girl, but the blue eyed boy went into a vivid daydream, not paying much attention afterward. "So are you gonna buy one or not?" asked Sheen, snapping through the brunette's thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. I just have to find a suitable job that fits my engineering needs." Sheen nodded in approval, although still quite confused by the word "engineering," and they walked in silence (excluding the slurping of Sheen vaccuming up Pixie Stick sugar). _'God, why is this strange kid following me?' _Jimmy cursed silently.

Sheen was the one to comment this time, "Dude, what's up with the lame clothes? Are you just asking to be a nerd or something?" The pale face twisted in confusion and looked at his wardrobe.

"What's wrong with them?" Jimmy asked. He thought that his clothes looked rather sharp, and ready for a job interview.

Sheen nodded his head, as if saying, _'Dude, we've got a lot of work to do.' _Sniffing up some powder on accident and sneezing, he replied while wiping his nose on his arm, "You really don't know how stupid your clothes are, do ya? I'll buy you some new threads after you get a job." Pausing, he stopped and looked behind him to check his UltraLords (just in case anyone might have "stolen" them), and then continued, "Which means you'll owe me money for new clothes AND an UltraLord. Or two." Jimmy mentally gave himself a facepalm in disdain. So much for a peaceful afternoon.

Jimmy's breath caught in his throat when he came across a rather small car repair shop. Sheen whipped around to see what Jimmy was gawking at. Jimmy vividly remembered the days he had worked there. Quickly he made his way inside, breathing in the essence of his past, with Sheen following behind him and questioning why he was going to a car repair shop when he obviously had no car.

"Hello there, welcome to Mr. Smith's Car Repair Service, running since 1946, how may I help you?" a man in his mid fourties said from behind the front desk, never taking his eyes from cleaning up a coffee spill with a rag. "You'll have to excuse the mess," he grumbled, "David is always causing us trouble." Quickly the man whipped his head sideways to glare at David, another man in his early twenties, who just shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

Jimmy nodded and paused for a second before deciding to speak. Looking at the nameplate placed proudly on the front desk, Jimmy's eyebrows rose. "You're related to Mr. Smith? I knew him-- _I mean_, my grandpa knew him when he worked here fifty years ago," Jimmy said, covering his mistake weakly. Sheen (amazingly) caught Jimmy's fumble and gave him the cross-eyed "What are you talking about?" look.

The man who was related to the original Mr. Smith laughed and shook his head. "Yes, I am, but you can just call me Earl. Anway, what are you here for? Need your car repaired because you got it in a wreck and don't want your parents to know?" he teased, grinning. Jimmy's heart ached for a second in rememberance of his parents.

"Oh, no, I came here wondering if I could have a job position," Jimmy said, lowering his head bashfully. "I need money to rent a place."

Earl nudged Jimmy, "Aah, so we have a dropout? Well, I'm going to need a resume or some sort of regonition to why you should recieve a job." Jimmy looked at him, crestfallen._'Of course,' _Jimmy though, wanting to knock himself over the head. What had he been thinking coming in here with nothing? It didn't take Earl long to figure out what was wrong. "You don't have a resume, eh? Or better yet... you had nothing prepared for a job interview? I'm afraid I a can't hire ya' then. Sorry," Earl sighed. And such a nice, honest looking kid for once.

"Okay, I'm not a drop out, I'm actually wanting to get back into school, and wait, what? Hold on, I can prove myself, I swear!" Jimmy pleaded, grabbing Earl's shirt sleeve. "Just give me a car to fix, anything!" his eyes begged, and Earl (being the softy that he was) had to give in.

"Alright, I'll give you ONE chance. I'll give you a car with a couple problems, and I'll see if you can fix them. If you manage to get two out of three, I'll give you a job. You'll start out small and work your way up if you get a position. Clear?" Jimmy nodded in agreement, feeling satisfied that he had recieved a chance to prove himself capable of working there (once again). "Okay, let's get started then." Earl led Jimmy into a large garage, numerous tools spread along the floor, and led him towards the car he was assigned. "Have fun," he said saracastically, nodding his head with a small smile perched on his face. "Crazy kids," he muttered.

Jimmy immediately started, rolling him beneath the car. He immediately found the first problem (the gas tank had sprung a leak). In the other room, though, Earl and David were chatting absentmindedly. "Do you think that kid can actually fix the car?" David asked doubtfully, mopping up the remaining coffee from the wooden floors. Earl rolled his eyes.

"Of course not, but he looked like he needed all the help he could get. Even if he doesn't manage to fix anything, I guess I could still hire him for clean up or something... like yourself," Earl grinned as David scowled in return. His face clearly said _'Ha ha, very funny.'_

A long couple of minutes seem to pass by (including the fact that Sheen was babbling on about why everyone in the room needed to sustain an UltraLord), and Jimmy was back at the front office, wiping grease from his forehead. "Finished," he announced with pride. The car he had fixed was a bit challenging, considering the cars had been updated and modified since he had last worked there, but it still had the same basic structures.

David's eyes bulged out of his head. "D-done!" he choked. "Impossible! It would've taken longer than that! I've got to see this for myself..." he said, rushing towards the car. Earl followed behind him, startled at the time taken. After inspecting the car thoroughly, not believing their eyes, the walked back to the front.

Earl extended his hand towards Jimmy, still apparently stunned, "Welcome to the crew."

* * *

"So this is your place?" questioned Sheen, tossing the newly bought clothes behind him carelessly... which Jimmy managed to catch, but just barely. Jimmy sent Sheen a stare to the back (which of course he was oblivious to). His brown gaze loitered every inch of the inside of the long forgotten home. "Dude, talk about a job for those Home Makeover people. This place is dirty! We need a clean-up ASAP!" Sheen said spastically, rummaging through the nearby coat closet for some cleaning utensils.

Jimmy hesitated, not wanting to be too unceremonious, "It's okay, Sheen. I'm sure I can manage on my own." Sheen waved him off, pulling out a rather antique feather duster, muttering and dusting cobwebs the whole way. "I'm probably not going to live here. I'll have to rent a place or something..." he trailed off. Sheen's head a spun around, and a creepy smile twisted at his lips. Jimmy suddenly felt very uncomfortable under his stare.

Hopping over toward the brunette, Sheen knotted his arm around Jimmy's neck, chatting wildly while making the most insane hand gestures Jimmy had ever seen. "I've got it! You can live with me! I'm sure papi won't mind," he inquired, and Jimmy felt his stomach lurch. He was suddenly having thoughts about taking a pistol, putting it to his head, and sending himself straight back to Hell. "To my house!" Sheen shouted, pushing Jimmy out the front door and pulling him past a couple blocks. Jimmy's only hope was that Sheen's father refused to house a stranger.

Finally reaching a moderately sized blue house, Sheen led them up towards the front porch, unlocked the door, and swung it open. "Dad, I'm home! I've got someone I want you to meet!" he exclaimed. There was the sound of a few tools dropping and footsteps from behind a door.

A man's voice boomed suggestively, "Did you get a girlfriend?" The door swung open, which Jimmy discovered was to their garage. Wiping some grease off of his hands with a filthy old rag, Mr. Estevez approached them. "Woops, maybe not..." he chuckled, placing the rag down on the small wooden coffee table. "It's nice to meet you!" he said, extending his large, calloused appendage. Jimmy shook a second hand for that day.

Sheen interrupted their meeting by whispering, "Dad, I need to talk to you about... the um, potatoes." Mr. Estevez's face contorted into one of confusion, for they were not feasting upon potatoes that night. Jimmy strayed behind and watched their conference from a distance. It was quite animated, what, with Sheen making more wild hand gestures and Mr. Estevez stroking his thick mustache. After a few heated moments of discussion, the elder nodded his head in approval and they approached Jimmy.

"You can stay," he announced, earning a 'What are you talking about?' glance from Jimmy. "Sheen told me about your little problem. I have no problems with you bunking with us, amigo!" Jimmy's stomach did a lurch and he felt very sick at that particular moment. The whole room was spinning, his heart racing, and he glanced around nervously. Didn't they feel like they were rushing things a bit? After all, Sheen himself had only met Jimmy a few mere hours earlier.

There was nothing Jimmy really could say at the time except, "Oh, great!" He focused on straining a smile, and they seemed to have bought it. The father and son exchanged whoops and back-pats with the boy from Hell. Jimmy's thoughts of his mission were grim and full of meloncholy. Sheen and his father really didn't know what they were getting themselves into, did they?

* * *

"Name?"

"Jimmy Neutron," a boy in a red shirt said. The school's secretary worked diligently behind her computer, clicking away at the keyboard, every once and awhile sneaking a glimpse at the two boys that stood before her (one being Sheen Estevez, and another a new boy). Jimmy amusedly scanned the computer, wondering what the contraption was and how it worked.

The secretary worked on her bun clipped at the back of her head. "Where are your parents, sir?" Jimmy scowled, and Sheen grimaced.

"I don't have any," Jimmy gritted out. Sheen had to bite his lip not to comment on the situation, which was proving very hard. The secretary rounded her mouth, forming a small _'o,' _and seperated her rear end from the office chair. Instructing him to follow her, she led Jimmy inside a room, where they discussed his classes. Just as Sheen was about to rush in to save Jimmy from the secretary's EVIL clutches, they both walked out into the office, the secretary handing over a schedule and informing him that she would find a guide for him (not quite trusting Sheen at that point when he inquired that he would help). Jimmy only nodded his head numbly. What would this new school day bring for him?

* * *

"Make-up on?" a certain blonde asked, applying the last amount of lipgloss to her thin lips.

"Check," Libby replied.

"Boom box ready to play?"

"Positive," inquired Brittany, shouldering the sleek black system.

"Let's roll," Cindy grinned, clicking the heels of her green boots against the concrete steps leading towards the main entrance of Retroville High School. She stopped short, turning around and giving them one last _'Here we go'_ look. Cindy's abdomenon was suddenly filled to the brink with fluttering butterflies. This entrance was undoubtfully going to be worth five hundred detentions each, but it was all going to be worth it in the end. Their reputation would skyrocket.

Beyond the front doors of RHS, the halls were buzzing with the mindless chatter of resident students. Jimmy boredly stalked outside the door of the front office to find something that might captivate his attention. He wouldn't mind not being mindlessly bored waiting for the secretary to find a reliable school guide. Leaning against the wall with a sigh, Sheen quickly bouncing after him. "Dude, that secretary is EVIL! Evil, I say! Why can't she just let me be your guide?" In an instant Jimmy was fondly thanking the secretary for not assigning Sheen to that one position, needing time away from the hyperactive attachment.

All out of no where there was a large _'BANG!' _like a clap of thunder. Screams, gasps, murmurs, and a lard crowd gathered 'round the front. Jimmy was utterly confused as he followed the crowd and stood on his tippy toes in an attempt to see. His view was blocked, but it didn't take long for him to see much, because the crowd parted in two groups. In the front were three girls, skimpy clothes adorning their frames. The presumed leader, a girl with light blonde hair and a fairly tanned body, beamed to the crowd in a smug manner. She glanced over to another blonde girl and winked, her emerald eyes sparkling with mischief. "Who's that?" muttered Jimmy to no one in particular.

"That's Cindy Vortex. Don't you know her? Everyone else does..." Jimmy, caught off gaurd by the voice, turned his attention to a shorter boy with wild orange hair and freckles. His heart hammered in his chest. That Cindy, in the hallway, could not be the Cindy he saw in the mirror, sobbing her heart out. He was supposed to make _her_ happy? She looked happy enough as it was! "Sorry," he said, re-adjusting his glasses shyly. "My name's Carl."

Jimmy's breath caught in his throat and he turned to respond, although he found his voice to be just as quiet as Carl's. "Nice to meet you. I'm, uh, Jimmy... Jimmy Neutron." He gulped and looked back towards Cindy, then up at the ceiling. 'Okay, she's happy. Please take me now?' he pleaded, but was not answered, to his avail.

Cindy looked towards Brittany, giving her the signal by winking. The pig-tailed girl gave a thumbs up and jabbed her manicured finger on a button. Music erupted from the boom box, silencing everyone long enough to watch. Her thin lips smirked. This would be good.

_I know you like me (I know you like me)  
I know you do (I know you do)  
Thats why whenever I come around shes all over you  
And I know you want it (I know you want it)  
It's easy to see (it's easy to see)  
And in the back of your mind  
I know you should be home with me _

The girl trio strutted a couple of steps, taking a few dramatic poses, moving in sequence with each other. The silence from the crowd, in no longer than a few seconds, became hands clapping to the beat, hollering from the boys, and some heated jealous gazes from the girls. Cindy felt pride fester deep inside of her and let it explode into her dance moves. This was her time to shine, make her life seem wonderful and perfect in every way.

_Dont cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me  
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me  
Dont cha, dont cha  
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me  
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me  
Dont cha, dont cha _

Cindy pranced over to one of the hottest boys in school and waggled her finger towards herself. Shocked, he pointed to himself and then a slow smile crept across his perverted face. Taking the dark green scarf from her shoulders, she wrapped it around the back of his own neck and dragged him out from the audience, swishing her hips seductively as she walked him onto the 'dance floor.' Jimmy watched in shock as she danced dirty with a random guy from the audience. Listening to the music bumping and hearing the pointless rant of how some girl was telling about how "hot" she was. It didn't take an idiot that girls of the present were a bit more ... he racked his mind and settled upon the word "Promiscious."

_Fight the feeling (fight the feeling)  
Leave it alone (leave it alone)  
Cause if it aint love  
It just aint enough to leave a happy home  
Let's keep it friendly (let's keep it friendly)  
You have to play fair (you have to play fair)  
See, I dont care  
But I know she aint gon' wanna share_

Sheen waved to someone and Jimmy followed his gaze, seeing one of the girls in the trio (the African American one) leaning against the wall. She give a secretive wink in return. So that was the girl that Sheen was selling his dolls for!

_Dont cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me  
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me  
Dont cha, dont cha , baby  
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me  
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me  
Dont cha, dont cha _

Cindy searched the crowd for fresh blood, another boy to dance with. Her wandering eyes spotted a boy with brunette hair, bangs falling past his eyes, which she couldn't see. With disinterest she was ready to shift her gaze, when his bangs slid far enough to see one of his eyes, which turned out to be an enticing ocean blue. Cindy didn't know what exactly, but something was attracting herself to him, almost like a magnet. She could feel her legs moving in that direction.

_I know I'm on your mind  
I know we'll have a good time  
I'm your friend  
I'm fun  
And I'm fine  
I aint lying  
Look at me, you aint blind _

The boy's eyes (or at least one eye that she could see) widened in realization. He turned in the opposite direction and scrambled to avoid Cindy, but she was confident that with a little playing he would wrapped around her finger, or scarf. Grabbing his arm she spun him around, but he barely avoided the green drape of doom as he bounded back inside the office. Her lips curled into a sneer as she felt heat flare in her cheeks. He had just rejected her, and no one rejected Cynthia Aurora Vortex.

Out from the front advanced the prinipal, thrusting her finger at the boom box and shutting it off. Silence swept over like the plague once more. "Cindy Vortex, Libby Folfax, and Brittany Smith, to my office... NOW!"

* * *

Did you enjoy the third chapter? I hope you're not too stressed from the cliffhanger. xD Review please! Oh, and if there are mistakes anywhere in the story, feel free to inform me. Thanks!

-MidnightSuburbia (Krista A.)


	5. Chapter 4: Consequences

_**A/N:**_ Okay, so here's the low-down... I haven't updated in forever because I thought I was going to drop this story. I've been considering it, I really have, but I checked my mail and I found a review. I thought to myself, "Wow... what am I doing? I'm really going to give up that easily?" I typed this chapter up a long time ago but never updated. I'll warn you: any further chapters I post will have a bit of a style change. My writing is in a constant state of development, haha. XD

Anyway, reviews are appreciated, though I don't think I deserve any lol. So if I don't get any I'll understand why! I'll try to finish this story up, I will! It's still got quite awhile to go, so hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

Oh, and keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. 'Kay thanks.

* * *

**Hell's Angel **

_by MidnightSuburbia (Krista A.)_

**Chapter 4**: Consequences

* * *

The musky smell of Principal Whyne's office made Cindy want to puke. She held back a small choke as said woman chewed them out for their previous actions that morning. Cindy glared at the blank walls, miniature potted tree, and clusters of pictures as if they had gotten her into the current prediciment. _'This is great. Just... wonderful.' _The principal gave them a dirty look and shook her head in disapproval. "I knew something like this would happen! You three always do something terrible when you come back to school from breaks," she paused and inspected them like insects needing to be squished immediately. "And for your lack of respect when on school grounds, you realize that there will be some sort of reprucussion."

Cindy sat glumly in her uncomforable wooden chair, squirming as Whyne's banter continued. "You must realize that school is for education, not for parading around and dancing to silly songs as a boost to your popularity level," she squinted her black eyes, and tucked a tuff of short, wavy brunette hair behind her ear (which was tinted with gray in age). She was unsuccessful with maintaining her hair, however, for the hair slid back out of place almost instantly.

"Her hair looks like Carl Wheezer's on a bad day," Brittany whispered to Libby when Whyne turned around, hearing eggs splat against her office window. Libby giggled behind her fingers. _'Ouch,'_ Cindy thought at the comment. Carl's hair was not a pretty sight on an ordinary day, but when it was a bad hair day... she shuddered at the thought. Cindy was broken out of her picturing Carl's hair when a few more egg shells burst, and the principal approached the window to yell at the boys who had practically fallen over laughing. They soon barrelled out of site, leaving Bolbi to wave and smile like a blank moron at the window with his goat by his side.

"Alright, let's keep this short and simple. Detention, all three of you, two weeks each." Cindy rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. Was that the best Whyne had? Because if so, it was pretty pathetic. However, of course, Whyne wasn't going to let them relish those two weeks. "You'll spend each day in detention scraping gum off the bottom of classroom desks," her wrinkly face practically beamed at their responces. Libby and Brittany both squealed 'Ewww!' at the same time, and Cindy just grunted. That may be enough for her two best friends, but not enough to crack herself.

The green-eyed beauty leaned forward in her seat. "Really Principal Whyne, that's all you've got? What, no toilet cleaning duty?"

"Well, if you insist..."

"CINDY!" both friends shrieked, encouraging her to stop pushing Whyne to give them more assignments. They looked prepared enough to strangle Cindy. Slouching back into her wooden seat was body language for, 'Fine, you win, I won't argue,' which was good enough for the two non-alphas of the trio.

Whyne nodded her head. "It seems we've come to an agreement. Detention starts tomorrow afternoon. The bell is about to ring, so you are excused..." With a sigh of relief they all stood up, filing towards the door. "Except Cynthia. I would like to have have a word with you." Cindy's whole body froze in midstep, heart pounding, and she made her way back to her original seat.

"Yes, Principal Whyne?" she growled, eager to get out of the office.

The woman in her midlife pressed held up on index finger, signaling to give her a minute, and pressed the intercom button. "Send the new student in."

_New student?_

The secretary swung open Mrs. Whyne's oak door, letting a pale boy slink nervously into the tense room (which incidentally turned out to be the stranger that had rejected her when selecting him as a dance partner). Cindy's vibrant green eyes narrowed, and she all of a sudden had the urge to claw the chair's arms beneath her. Cindy would find her revenge soon enough. He embaressed her in front of the entire school, and no one humiliated Cindy Vortex; past, present, or future.

"Have a seat," chided the principal with a gentle kindness (in a tone Cindy had never heard spoken towards herself). The blonde smelt a strong batch of sincerity. "James probably knows why I called him here." Cindy's eyebrows lifted in curiousity._ 'So his name is James?' _She quickly banished the thought.

"Yes ma'am, I do have an idea of why I'm here, and please, just call me Jimmy," he said politely._ 'Alright Jimmy,' _she thought, irritably crossing her arms,_ 'why are you here, and why the hell am I involved with this?'_

The principal strolled behind her desk and sat, intertwining her fingers and laying them neatly on polished wood. Cindy snuck Jimmy a dirty look, although he diverted his eyes to ignore the immature display of obvious dislike._ 'He'd better get used to those glares because there'll be a lot more in the future,' _her mind muttered darkly. "Miss Vortex, you very well know why I called you down here in the first place. Due to your little public display, you will not only be serving detention, but I've come up with another punishment for you." This caught Cindy's attention faster than an angry slap to the face. Sliding up from her previous slumping position, her face contorted into a certainly forever-lurking scowl. This wasn't going to be good.

"What type of _punishment_?" Cindy hissed, lethal venom dripping from each word.

Whyne hesitated for a moment, obviously not wanting to get to the point without explanation. "Each of you is here for a reason... one: Cynthia's behavior is atrocious. She needs to learn respect, and see that her lack of obeying school rules will get her more than what detention could ever feed. That's why I'm giving her a little more responsibility." Once Cindy heard the word _'responsibility_,' she was ready to bolt. "James is here because obviously he is new, and we can't trust Sheen to be his school guide... obviously. So Cindy, I'm assigning that position to you."

The woman with gray-streaked hair knew she had won the battle. Just seeing how Jimmy and Cindy had interacted during the dance episode had given her oppurtunity to teach Cynthia a lesson. She was finally one step ahead. There was a strong silence, and for the longest time Cindy stared blankly at Principal Whyne, eyes wide with disbelief. Shock ran through her body, and finally there was a responce.

"EXCUSE ME?"

Rage coursed through Cindy's veins, throbbing and ready to be released in order to sock it to Mrs. Whyne. She clenched her jaw so hard, her teeth might have cracked under the pressure. Sticking Cindy with Jimmy would result in pure chaos. Jimmy interrupted, "Principal Whyne, I don't think..." he hesitated, "that that is such a good idea. I'm sure Sheen would make a great school guide." His words seemed to go through one ear and out the other.

"Of course it is! James Neutron, meet Cynthia Vortex, and vise versa." They were quickly ushered out of the front office, Jimmy given his schedule and instructed to come back tomorrow when he had his supplies ready.

"Look, Nerdtron," she spat, slightly amazed that she had alreadly given him a nickname at such rapid speed, "I don't like you, and you don't like me, got it?" At this point she grabbed his collar and pulled him down so he was eye level to her. He nodded apprehensively. "Good. Listen up: I'm going to give you a one-week school tour, mandatory for the guide to do. Just don't expect to it be _pleasant_."

It's not like as if had expected it to.

* * *

Jimmy's one week with Cindy had been torture, as she promised. She had made sure that every second had been dragged along the ground with a stick, getting her friends to tease and laugh at him as they walked together in the hallway, playing practical jokes on him, the works. It's not as if he hadn't gone through type of punishment before, though. 

_"Move it, nerd!" laughed Nick Dean, the school's most recognized boy, as he shoved Jimmy into a nearly locker. A long, almost painful, 'bang!' echoed through the school's nearly empty hallway. Nick's cronies laughed, following close behind said slick-haired boy. They had just finished one of Jimmy's daily beatings, pounding on him and scattering his books and papers in random directions. Nick looked to be having an enjoyable time, but the brunette girl linked to his arm, however, gave him a disapproving stare and glanced at the genius in disdain. Jimmy, sporting a black eye, pushed himself from the lockers and watched with a pathetic expression, disheveled hair covering segments of his face, as Nick spun around and led Betty towards the end of the hallway. "Later!" _

_The group of boys following Nick snorted. "That kid thinks he's so much better than us... just 'cause he gets good marks."_

_Jimmy peeked from the small gaps of his hair as Betty disappeared around the corner, feeling weary and ready to collapse on the floor. Sighing, he positioned himself on his hands and knees, beginning his treacherous crawl and picking up his broken reading glasses, textbooks, so on and so forth. Just as he had finished, he realized that a large chunk of glass was missing from lens of his glasses. Spotting them, he reached carefully to retrieve it, but just as he gripped the glass, a sound came from the end of the hallway. "Okay, just give me a second!" The anxious voice of a girl had startled him so much that his hand had instinctively gripped around the glass, which managed to embed itself into his palm. Wincing, he tenderly unfurled his fingers, a pool of blood gushing out of his open hand. He looked up to see who had disturbed him, and his eyes widened, for the person standing at the other side of the hall was none other than Betty Quinlan. _

_There was a long pause before finally she scurried to Jimmy, squatting and holding him literally red-handed. At that point he squeezed his eyes closed, the cut feeling like a hot burn that was engulfing his entire arm. He didn't want to cry, especially in front of Betty Quinlan. Coming off as a pansy wasn't the first thing on his check list to do. "Jimmy, oh gosh, I'm sorry! Did I startle you? Are you okay?" Her almond eyes were round with sincerity._

_Grounding his teeth, Jimmy replied, "It's fine. I'll go home and get it bandaged... " But Betty would have none of it. At that point she had taken off the letter jacket Nick had wrapped around her shoulders earlier. She held firm a grip on the glass, carefully amputating it from the flesh wound, and Jimmy hissed at the intense stinging that followed. _

_"There we go," she cooed, picking up the jacket and pressing it against Jimmy's hand to reduce blood loss. "Let's get you to a sink and wash your hand up." He nodded in response, and they went to the girl's bathroom, where no one, to his utter relief, was there because it was after school. After rinsing away the crimson blood and inspecting the cut (at which point Jimmy blushed profusely), she re-wrapped the jacket around his hand. "Do you think you can take it from here? I'm sorry I have to leave, but Nick is waiting on me," she said, almost bitterly. In a whisper, she added, "I feel terrible about your black eye. I'll try to get Nick to lighten up on you, okay? I don't know what else to do." Betty wrapped her arms awkwardly around Jimmy, and he knew it was her way of apologizing on not being able to stop her boyfriend._

_"Betty," he said, looking her in the eye, "I would never be mad at you for what Nick did." And he really did mean it._

Jimmy shook the memory off like an annoying fly buzzing around his head._'Don't think about it.' _ The only thing he wanted to focus on was how he was going to get closer to Cindy, or gain her trust enough where he could slowly make her life "happier," somehow. But how was he supposed to get to know Cindy when she hated his guts? Friday's quiz results proved to push her dislike to a whole new level.

_"Attention class! I have the results from Tuesday's quiz. I have to admit, I am a bit disappointed in your grades. Only one person in the whole class earned a perfect score!" announced a stout man, pushing his way through the mazes of desks. Cindy smirked because she knew fully well that the only person who could have managed a perfect score was her. "I'm handing out the quizzes. The grades aren't terrible, they just aren't up to my standard." As soon as Cindy's paper was set face down on her desk, she flipped it up only to reveal a bright red B- glaring up at her. Cindy's eyes shot open and almost rolled out of her head. There had to be some mistake! She checked the name: Cindy Vortex. Someone must have forged her name and purposely gotten a B- under it! That was the only explanation she could muster. _

_Quickly she flipped it back over, cheeks stained pink, and peeked at the desk to the right of hers: Jimmy's. "Very nice work, James!" exclaimed Mr. Mason, mustache quivering as he smiled. "The equations you did to solve the problems are incredible! Are you sure you shouldn't be in college?" he chuckled as Jimmy shrugged sheepishly. The A on the brown-haired boy's paper laughed at Cindy; mocked her very existence. _

What would get Cindy's attention? What could he possibly do send her so far over the edge that she'd want to get to know him, and possibly even be_ friends_?

That's when it hit him.

* * *

I hope this chapter is okay! Reviews, again, are very appreciated. I'll try to update as soon as possible, though I can't guarantee when that will happen... haha. D: --Shot--

Also, I'm posting up another fanfiction that I've completed soon -- Check it out! It's called **The** **Phantom of the Halloween Party**. I started it around October, obviously! LOL. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 5: The Great Compromise

A/N: I didn't get this updated as quickly as I wanted, but I got it up. Sorry for the wait. This chapter should be pretty interesting, and it's when things finally pick up the pace! Yay for more involvement from smaller characters. (: Please review this chapter... it would mean the world to me. Thank you!

* * *

**Hell's Angel**

_by Krista A._

**Chapter 5: **The Great Compromise

* * *

After close observation, Jimmy Neutron could state one thing without hesitation: Cindy Vortex was an extremely vain person. She cherished her possessions far more than any human being, except for her best friend, Libby (and even that was debatable!). It was only a matter of time before he figured out exactly what to do. He was struck with the idea while in Pre-Calculus, staring at Cindy's purse that was laying under her desk, dying to be taken as she left for a second to go to the bathroom.

_'What if?' _he had asked himself, and his brain was already pumping out the idea of one of the greatest, most dangerous, _deadly_ mastermind plans he had come up with: hold Cindy Vortex's purse ransom.

And oh yes, what a great plan it had been.

* * *

"Libby, are you sure you haven't seen it?" whined Cindy as the school bell rang, dismissing all students from the premises. She stared at her friend with large, worried eyes.

"For the last time, girl... I ain't seen ya' purse!" said Libby irritably, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Have you checked lost and found yet?"

"I looked everywhere!" Cindy exclaimed, pulling at the bangs hanging over her face. "I checked lost and found, all of my classes, the hallways I took... and I found zilch!"

"Well," Libby took a calm breath, "maybe someone stole it? Duh."

Cindy froze in her tracks. "What?" she cried as they crossed the street from the school. "But everyone knows that I'd kill whoever stole my purse. Who would even try?" Venturing down the streets of their neighborhood, Cindy stomped grumpily.

"I dunno, I'm sorry, Cindy. What else can ya' do if you've checked everywhere? Just hope it turns up tomorrow, okay? I'll talk to you lata'!" Libby waved goodbye and turned on a separate street in the direction of her house.

Rolling her eyes, Cindy mumbled, "So much for_ your _help." The autumn wind picked up and breezed past her face. Usually she'd enjoy this type of weather (a contrast from the unbearable summer heat in Texas), but today she couldn't concentrate on anything but her stolen purse and wondering what anyone could possibly want with it.

As soon as she got home, she signed mournfully and tossed her backpack into the entry hall. Just as she was about to close the front door, Cindy heard a distant, "Hola, Vortex!" from across the street. She whipped her head around to properly glare at the culprit, whom was smirking at her for reasons unknown. "I'm not in the mood today, Ultrafreak. Why don't you go off and play with your dolls?"

His smirk flipped into a frown. "They're not dolls, they're ACTION FIGURES! And I don't think you should be so rude to me anymore, _blondie._"

_'Why, I oughta...' _Through clenched teeth, she asked, "Beg pardon, but why not? I can be rude to you anytime I want, doofus."

"On account of my friend Jimmy, here; that's why." She peeked over at the new kid. Oddly enough, he seemed to look content with everything occurring in front of him, hands stuffed in his jean pockets casually.

"And what is your good friend Jimmy going to do if big bad Cindy is mean to you, huh?"

"I'll have to throw you purse in the sewer, that's what." It took a second to register, but as soon as it did, you could say she definitely flipped out. Running across the street, she grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"What did you do with it, Spewtron? I want my purse back _right now_!" All Jimmy could do was smile. She shook him with force.

"Okay, my god," the blue eyed boy said, swatting her hand off. "I'll give you your purse back, but you have to follow my directions."

"There are conditions? Neutron, I'm going to make sure my mom will sue the pants off of you!"

"You can't do that with legible evidence that I actually stole it," his smile turned into a full-out grin. Cindy let out a growl.

"Okay, what are the conditions?"

"You have to hang out with me and treat me like an equal. If I felt you've been especially good I'll give you back the contents of your purse bit by bit."

"If YOU'VE felt I've been good?"

"Yup."

"Jerktron, that's totally not fair. In public, you mean?"

"Well, yeah, and even when we're not in public," he laughed. "Oh, and one more thing... Sheen wants to be able to go out with Libby publicly without you making fun of them, and he doesn't have to sell his UltraLords to be with her."

"No. Just, no way. I can't agree to_that_."

"Okay, but I guess that means you'll get your purse back drenched in sewer waters," he said.

"Fine, OKAY! Just stop threatening my purse! I guess I have to start being nice to you tomorrow, right?" she sighed in aggravation. 

"Yes, and I'll be testing you," he said, a hint of mischievousness in his voice, "so don't let your guard down." Cindy scowled, beginning to loath this guy more than she ever had in the few weeks she had known him. He wasn't going to get away with all of this, of course. As soon as she got everything back, she was going to give him a piece of her mind (or, if she got lucky and found his hiding place, she'd get her stuff back in advance with an edge over him).

_'All in due time,'_ she reminded herself. _'All in due time.'_

* * *

That evening, as dusk was settling in, the members of the Estevez household chatted away happily in the kitchen. "I hope you like Mexican food, Jimmy," Mr. Estevez started, "because that's all I can cook!" The whole time Jimmy had been at their house, Sheen and Jimmy had to order out because Mr. Estevez was usually working. This night, however, he was there and offering to make a homemade dinner (something Jimmy hadn't had in a long time).

Sheen chuckled at his father. "That's right! You would be so grossed out if you saw what other stuff my dad tried to make. Talk about disgusto-mundo. He's a good cook, but only at one type of food." A smile cracked across Jimmy's face as he thought that maybe Sheen and his dad weren't so bad after all.

Mr. Estevez continued chopping vegetables in swift movements, the smell and small talk warming up the atmosphere of the room. Jimmy had to admit that he missed this sort of family activity, and wished that his parents were with him. His mom would've loved to teach Mr. Estevez how to bake one of her famous pies (without messing it up, since Sheen's father claimed to be the worst at making other specialties). 

Just as Sheen and Jimmy got into a heated debate about the pros and cons of television (and if it really rotted the brain, because Sheen thought that that was downright stupid and was eager to watch the brand new UltraLord marathon that weekend). All of a sudden Mr. Estevez huffed. "Oh, darn! I just realized I forgot to buy some of the most important vegetables! How could I? Sheen, do you think you could run down to the supermarket for me and get me some of these?" Mr. Estevez scribbled down some weird names of vegetables and handed them over, but Jimmy decided he'd intervene. "Mr. Estevez, please let me buy them. You both have been so hospitable to me. I just feel like I should do something for you in return." The older man beamed proudly in return.

"Of course you can, Jimmy."

There was a strange silence when the door creaked shut after Jimmy left, and Sheen's father continued preparing the meal. Finally the room filled with a bit of conversation here and there. After awhile, Sheen glanced worriedly at the clock. "Ya' think he's been gone for too long?" It had been a little over fourty-five minutes, and the supermarket wasn't that far away. His father agreed solemnly that it might be a good idea to go check in on Jimmy.

Walking from the front lawn, Sheen began his journey to the supermarket when all of a sudden, a block later, he hears whimpers. He looks around curiously. "Who's there?" Huddled on the sidewalk, at the curb, is Carl. "Oh, it's just you. Why are you out here all by yourself? It's dark outside, man!"

Carl sniffled a little before responding, "I got locked out of the house. My dad had an allergic reaction before I got home from school, and my mom had to take him to the hospital. I've been out here for the past couple hours."

"You have? Dude, why didn't you just go to someone's house?"

"No one wanted me," Carl pouted.

Sighing, Sheen said, "I woulda let you stay at my house (of course, I mighta charged you money for candy), but okay. I guess you can come with me. I'm going to the supermarket to check up on Jimmy. He's takin' a long time!"

"Jimmy? Oh, you mean the new kid!" Carl's face brightened instantly. "I like him! He doesn't treat me like a complete baby."

Sheen snorted. "You _are_ a baby, Carl."

"Am not!" he whined, wiping a few leftover tears from his face.

"Whatever."

* * *

"Thank you for shopping!" 

"No, thank _you_," said Jimmy politely as he exited. As the doors swooshed open, he once again looked at them in bewilderment. "How do they _do_ that?" he wondered aloud, adjusting the paper sack of vegetables in his arm to a more comfortable position. '_I hope I didn't take too long,'_ he thought, looking at the dark street ahead of him. The lamps were just starting to flicker on, dotting the street with circles of yellow light. 

Quite frankly, even though Jimmy did not admit it to himself, he felt a little scared being out so late by himself. It was very lonely walking the streets with only oneself to confide in. 

A wail broke the silent air. "Please, stop! SOMEONE HELP ME. _GET OFF, GET OFF! STOP IT_!" There were footsteps, and a young girl ran around the corner, her shirt ripped in the front and jacket falling off her shoulders... like someone had attempted to rip them off. Gunshots sounded, and she raced past Jimmy, accidentally bumping into him. By the time Jimmy turned around to look at her, she had already vanished around the corner.

"GET BACK HERE!" Another figure emerged from the shadows of the alleyway. He aimed blindly into the street, firing his pistol. Just because the man was filled with such fury, he probably didn't care who he was shooting at, just as long as he hit something.

And that something happened to be Jimmy's chest.

The genius fell backwards from the blow, letting the paper bag slip from his grip and all the vegetables roll onto the pavement. Deciding it was the time to probably get the hell out of there, the criminal made a mad dash away from the bullet victim. Little did he know that there were witnesses peeking just around the corner.

"JIMMY!" Sheen ran to his side and bent over, horrified at the sight of blood clotting his friend's shirt. Carl panted to keep up with Sheen, but made it just in time.

"Oh no! I get queasy at the sight of blood..."

"Now's not the time to pass out, you baby! We have to get him to the hospital. Let's get him outta the middle of the street to call an ambulance," Sheen, although hyper-active and clueless most of the time, was very smart when he wanted to be. He easily took charge of the situation. Both dragging their unconscious friend towards the sidewalk and into another alley, Carl looked worriedly at Jimmy's chest.

"Do you think we should look at the wound?"

"Does that mean we have to take his shirt off?" Sheen wrinkled his nose.

"I guess...?"

"Let me get his arms," Sheen sighed, pulling Jimmy's limbs up. "Okay, you get the shirt." Carl obliged, peeling the layer of clothing off of Jimmy to reveal his pasty skin and the stark contrast of bright red blood. Anyone could tell, at that moment, that Carl was trying very hard not to throw up.

"Get yourself together, Carl. Now tell me, since I wasn't paying attention in health... are we supposed to wrap something around Jimmy's wound?" Carl nodded yes... he recalled that it was supposed to prevent further bleeding. Taking Jimmy's shirt, the Hispanic boy was just about to tie a knot with the cloth when Jimmy's bullet wound emitted a soft blue light.

"Wha...?" Bending over to see, Carl and Sheen gaped as the light played off their faces. The bullet wound had sealed shut, and now there was nothing but smooth skin. "Okay, what just happened and why did Jimmy glow blue?"

And while Sheen and Carl pondered over this mystery, Jimmy was having a memory of his own.

* * *

"_Daddy, I'm hungry," said a ten-year-old James, tugging at Edward's shirt. His father dazed down at him, his eyes glazed over in a drunken stupor. He took another swing of his beer._

"_You're smart. You can get it yourself," he slurred uninterestedly. _

"_But I can't reach... I'm too short!" Jimmy crawled into his lap. For a long time his father looked straight at him._

"_Your eyes are so blue, just like your mommy's," he smiled, but it quickly vanished at the rememberance of her death. "Get off, kid," he grunted, pushing James off his lap and onto the floor. The young boy winced as he fell on the sharp glass of shattered beer bottles. _

"_Ow, " he cried, examining his bleeding palm._

"_Suck it up!"_

_James wiped the tears from his face with the side of his hand that wasn't bleeding and went to the kitchen. Maneuvering a chair, he opened the pantry door and was welcomed with the site of empty shelves, all except for a loaf of bread that had gone bad long ago. He looked down when his stomach growled. 'I don't wanna stay here any more...' _

_James tip toed to his room to pack his belongings and wrap them in a blanket, then discreetly slipped out the front door when his dad finally passed out from drinking too much alcohol. Looking back one last time, he whispered, "Bye, daddy."_

_Cars passed by, each and every one of them uninterested in the young boy walking down the streets. At least, that is, until a police officer spotted him. "Hey kiddo, what are you doing out here? Ya' lost, or something?" the cop asked, concerned as to why a little kid was roaming alone._

"_No, I ran away," whispered James, "but don't take me back to dad, please!" He raised his hands as if to warn the police officer not to come closer._

"_Is that blood? ...Kid, you might want to come with me. I'm going to take you somewhere safe."_

"_Safe?" The police officer nodded, and gently took the boy's shoulder. _

"_Follow me."_

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please review (again, it'd make my day. I'm not kidding). Chapter 6 should be coming a LOT quicker than this one because it's spring break, and I have all week. (: I'll attempt not to procrastinate.

_-Krista A. _

* * *


	7. Chapter 6: Only Downpour

**Hell's Angel**

_by Krista A._

**Chapter 6**: Only Downpour

* * *

AN: I'd first like to say:_**W-O-W.**Thank you for SOOOO many reviews_! I really am grateful. This is the chapter with the **most reviews I've gotten yet**! Let's have a celebration... I now have a total of 30 reviews! :D That makes me happy inside. I can't stress how much that means to me.

One thing I'd like to point out: Thank you, PercyJACKSon for the immature comment. I really appreciate people telling me that I'm plotting my story wrong. (: Too bad. I put a warning in the summary: there's going to be JC. Get over it. You'll get your fair share of JB, but JC is just as equal a contender.

I LOVE YOU GUYS! Hope you enjoy Chapter 6 as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is the part where it really starts setting levels for characters in the story, and piecing bits of information and past events together.

PS. When Cindy's mentioned briefly in this chapter, it's not the same night Jimmy goes to get groceries. I just didn't want to put "flashback" italics on it because most of this story is third person, but following _Jimmy_. It wouldn't make sense to put in a flashback since Jimmy wasn't there for the event.

* * *

"_Jerry, I need you to come in here and check this kid out..." said Luther, the officer than had found young James. A man that appeared to have eaten too many donuts for one lifetime trudged into the room, his potbelly an enhanced figure over the belt of his pants._

"_What seems to be the problem?" _

"_I think this kid's been... well," he sighed and took the young boy's hand, lifting it up to show the place where the shard of glass had been. "The glass I pulled out of his hand was from a beer bottle." Jerry nodded._

"_I see. Come with me, kid. We have to take a look to see if you're been hurt." James was hesitant to go, but the man turned out to be extremely kind. He gave the boy another pair of clothes after investigating (the ones Jimmy had been previously wearing were worn and ragged). One was a bright red t shirt, which James looked at with admiration. He decided that red was his favorite color._

"_Well?" Luther asked nervously when the two emerged._

"_I'd say that we have no choice but to find a new home for him." They both looked at each other in understanding. "Do you want to try calling some of his relatives to see if they'll take him?" Luther did not object. In fact, he called for hours just trying to find one suitable place. Not one person wanted James._

_That's how the genius found himself standing before the Retroville Orphanage with a solemn expression, bag of belongings swinging gently with the wind. Murky clouds were gathering in the sky, and the heavens boomed authoritatively as a warning to get inside. Luther rested his large, comforting hand on James' shoulder. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I tried so hard." James nodded in understanding, but in his heart he felt the greatest betrayal. Not even his own relatives wanted him._

_A nice woman, who turned out to be a volunteer, showed the genius to the bedrooms, which turned out not to be "bedrooms" at all. They were just large areas of space with dozens of beds scattered throughout. "... and this little trunk at the foot of you bed is to keep your stuff in, alright?" He nodded in response. Sighing, the volunteer leveled herself to his own height and looked him straight in the eye. "Remember to ask for help whenever you need. My name is Judy. Don't be afraid of this place; we try to make it as homey as possible." Looking at her clock, she finished her discussion, "Anyway, I've got to go for a couple hours. I'll see you later, deary." Tousling his hair affectionately, she sped off and she left a deafening silence._

* * *

"_Shut up!_" shouted Cindy angrily, digging through the junk under her bed. The sound of porcelain shattering reverberated from downstairs. Fighting was a normal thing in the Vortex residence, of course, with its hot-headed members. Their petty disagreements were constant, but rarely did the family break out into such violent dispute. Unfortunately things seemed to be getting worse with time, and Cindy's parents were battling it out more frequently than they ever had.

In which case, when that sort of thing occurred, Cindy was always prepared: she pulled out her iPod, set it to a rock song, and cranked it as loud as it would go until she felt her eardrums were about to burst. That day was not in Cindy Vortex's favor, however, as the result of the kidnapping of her purse (and her iPod with it).

And that was how she found herself digging through the clutter beneath her bed frame, on a determined search and rescue mission with only one desire: to find her old CD player.

Scrambling fingers finally found a set of headphones, which connected to the clunky machine. The screaming grew louder, so Cindy worked fast to flip among her collection and pick one she felt would cover up the noise the best. Positioning herself in a corner, she drew her knees up to her chin and clamped the earphones tightly so they pressed into her ears.

Trying to calm herself, she took deep breaths and rocked back and forth. The loud music managed to do its purpose: block out the fighting and obstruct Cindy's thoughts. While it managed to obstruct her thoughts, it actually did not manage to clear her mind completely. The notions of divorce, fights, and months of agony whispered their terrible ideas. Her lips trembled.

_'Cindy Vortex doesn't cry,'_ she assured, but in the pits of her heart knew it wasn't true. Everyone cried, and one person was not an exception. It didn't mean that she couldn't try, though.

She stared at her door, which was cracked only the slightest bit open. The warm light trickled in, setting half of her face aglow. Irritation was evident in the portion that was lit up, eyebrows knitted downward and bags under her eyes like bruises.

Squinting her eyelids only made it worse. Water gathered at the ends of her eyes. A single droplet escaped past her lashes, rolling slowly but surely down her pasty cheek. It caught the corner of her lips, down her chin, and, glimmering in the light for one split-second, fell like a raindrop to her shirt. She decided that, maybe to convince herself, she could play the tear off like rain, so she turned her face to press her cheek against the cold window. There was already condensation from the pouring outside, and the warm trail that had been on her face mixed in with the icy glass.

There. No more tears, only downpour.

_'Cindy Vortex does not cry.'_

* * *

Jimmy Neutron woke up in a haze, as if he had come out of some drug-induced coma. The world was dark around the edges, light in the middle. Light became color, and the shadows around his vision slowly faded. It was only a matter of seconds before he realized that he had woken up outside; his back was aching and the sky above was filled with dim stars.

Then, of course, he got an eyeful of Sheen and Carl leaning over him with astonished eyes. "Dude, what _was_ that?"

"What was _what_?" Jimmy asked groggily, propping himself up on his elbows. Carl pointed a shaky finger at his stomach. Jimmy looked down at the dried, coppery blood around a non-existent bullet wound. He pressed his cold fingertips against where the hole had once been; it was hot to the touch.

The heat reminded Jimmy back to the flames, where he had felt the grace of life ribbon his body, and the strange light that had sealed his wounds shut. Could it have happened again? Was it even _possible_? "What happened to me?"

"Your stomach, it... glowed blue. _What. Was. That_?"

The genius groaned and put his back to the cement again, cradling his head between his hands. What had he gotten himself into? "It was nothing, Sheen," he lied, fumbling to stand up. Sheen would have nothing of it... so he pushed Jimmy back to the ground and pinned his shoulders.

"It _was_ something, and you're going to tell us the truth about it."

"The whole truth?"

"And nothing but the truth."

Carl looked at Jimmy with his beady eyes. "Please, Jimmy? You can trust us."

Jimmy sighed. "You wouldn't believe me."

"Try us."

"Okay," the genius took a deep breath. "Say that hypothetically I don't belong here."

"Well, yeah, you just kinda moved here..."

"No, not in that aspect! I mean, what if I didn't belong to this time period... or even this millennium?"

"Wouldn't you be like, really old?" asked Carl doubtingly.

"Not really. Again, hypothetically... let's say I already died." Sheen and Carl looked at one another, and then back at Jimmy like he was some sort of freakshow. "Ugh, I knew you wouldn't believe me!"

"No, keep going. If you DID die, tell us how."

Jimmy took a deep breath and said, "I was stabbed..." he lowered his hands to his abdomen, "right here."

"That doesn't explain the glowing," piqued Carl.

"I was revived. I glowed when I was brought back to life, and I suppose this is a similar experience since I nearly died agai--"

"How?"

"What are you asking?"

"How were you revived?"

"I was revived by an angel."

"Oh," Sheen said quietly, and it was evident in his voice that he didn't believe a single word. "Well... do you know who you were murdered by, or was it random?"

"I'm aware of whom I was murdered by."

"Well, who?"

"Her name was Bethany Ann Quinlan."

* * *

_James held a thick textbook in his hand, starting at it awkwardly. It, unfortunately, belonged to Betty Quinlan. He currently was having an internal battle as to whether to give it directly to her or not. Upside of giving the book to Betty: She'd recognize him as the returner of her book. Downside: Nick would pummel him if he thought Jimmy was making a move on Betty. James might as well put it in lost and found... after all, so what if he returned her book? Would she even care? Would she look at him as a better person, or as the same old square James Neutron?_

_His decision was made as soon as he opened the door to the front office. The process, however, was rendered short when he collided with another person. He was taken by surprise as his books tumbled to the floor, as well as the other person's. Desperately he began sifting through, trying to pick up what books belonged to him, and muttered apologies. "You don't have to be sorry, Jimmy. I was the one being clumsy!" _

_His heart constricted for an instant, and he brought his eyes up... past the heart-shaped jawline, prominent lips and high cheekbones, to warm brown irises. "Did you just call me Jimmy?"_

"_I know your real name's James, but Jimmy sounds better," she said embarrassedly. _

"_Oh." There was an awkward pause in their conversation as Betty just looked down, blushing, and James stared at her with a sheepish grin. "Here, let me help you with your books..." _

"_No, allow me," she offered. Their hands brushed for the slightest moment. It felt foreign to have such kind, warm fingers on his own lonely, callous ones. Working in his lab had brought years of isolation and hard effor. They stared at each other in discomfort. James blushed and pulled his hand back. _

"_Sorry..."_

"_It's okay," Betty mumbled. "Hey, isn't this my book?" Looking up at him curiously, she held the evidence for him to see. At first he thought that he was caught red-handed, but a smile lit up her face. "Where'd you find it? I've been looking for it forever!"_

"_You left it in the hallway after you helped me." _

"_It figures!" she laughed. "I'm glad you ran into me, then. Thanks for giving it back."_

"_You're welcome..." he trailed off, and then caught sight of Betty's ponytail hanging mesmerizingly over her shoulder. Staring at it, he appreciated its length as a contrast to the current fashion of short hair. It was different than most girls'... and it looked quite nice._

"_What are you staring at? Is it my hair? My friends keep telling me I should get it cut, but I don't know... I like long hair. Does it look bad on me?" she asked self-consciously. "Be honest."_

"_Oh, not at all!" Jimmy insisted. "In fact, I think you should keep it long. It's..." he hesitated, knowing he might regret saying his following words later, "it looks really beautiful."_

* * *

"I don't believe you, Jimmy. How's that even _possible_?" Sheen crossed his arms irritably.

"Sheen, I _know_ you don't believe me, but what other explanation could I possibly give you?" The genius took a deep breath and fell softly onto his back once more.

"I dunno', that you swallowed a flashlight or something!"

"Even if that was true, it doesn't explain how my shot wound healed."

Carl interrupted them with a quiet squeak, "Come on, Sheen, think about it! It makes sense." He looked towards Jimmy for approval. "What else is there to believe?"

"Shut up, baby," the Hispanic boy pouted.

"Am not!"

Sheen sighed and decided to ignore Carl, "I don't know, Jimmy... I mean, it makes sense."

"And?"

"Well, I guess I believe you. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"

A genuine smile stretched its way onto the genius's face. "Thanks, Sheen."

* * *

"Argh, be quieter, you stupid door!" Sheen said in a hushed whisper. Both boys were currently trying to sneak into the house, drawing as little attention as possible, and to get away with leaving the house for hours at least until tomorrow. However, this seemed to be a problem since the _stupid_ key in the _stupid_ keyhole decided that while turning to open the lock, it would make a _stupid_ awful churning noise.

Jimmy was fairly sure a neighbor, at any point, would pop out and go, "SHUT THAT KEY UP!"

But it wasn't as bad when they actually tried to open the door itself.

_Creeeeeeeeeeak!_

It was like someone had put a microphone right next to the door and blasted it on stereo. Jimmy detected that Sheen might have been thinking something along the lines of: _'Once this is over with, I'm buying a new door. Squeak proof.'_

Just as it had felt like hours had past, the door clicked shut. Both boys, feeling they were home-free, let out silent sighs of relief.

"And just where have you boys been?" a thickly accented voice asked. A nearby lamp flickered on, and there sat Mr. Estevez, arms crossed, looking like some expectant housewife that had just caught her husband cheating. Jimmy shoved his hands in the pockets of the hoodie Sheen had lent him (to cover up the blood-stained shirt), and looked toward the ground, rocking on his heels nervously.

"Busted."

* * *

Let's play a game: I MADE A REFERENCE IN THIS CHAPTER. Can anyone guess what I snuck in? ;D If you win, you get brownie points LOL.

Otherwise, THANK YOU FOR READING. Please reply! I love reading what you guys have to say!

* * *


	8. Chapter 7: De Ja Vu

**Hell's Angel**

_by Krista A._

**Chapter 7: **De Ja Vu

* * *

**A/N:** I cannot BEGIN to apologize for not updating this story. This summer's been really weird and hectic. I went a couple trips, and when I wasn't on vacation, I was experiencing _severe_ writer's block. Every single time I sat in front of the computer screen, and I saw a blank document, I freaked out.

But I finally motivated myself to crank this chapter out. I sincerely hope it makes up for the lack of updates. I think you'll like it. (:

In other news: CONGRATS TO Miss Mudblood FOR GUESSING THE REFERENCE CORRECTLY. I slipped in a few lines from one of Dane Cook's jokes! You win brownie points. And since I didn't give you any peeks from this chapter, you can use that for any upcoming chapter (but only once LOL).

THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I'm two away from breaking the 40 mark. Once you've finished reading, please please please review. It would mean so much. Thanks for your time!

* * *

_James watched in dismay as Judy pulled away from the orphanage parking lot. As it traveled down the road, it dwindled in size until becoming a red speck in the distance_. _'Probably to a city far away from this place,' the boy thought sadly. Who would want to stay here? It positively wreaked of gloom, sitting in the middle of rural land (or_ _in other words, away from any populated areas). It was a shame to see such a friendly person leave. Without her warm presence, the room felt cold and lonely. There was no way to tell anyone even lived in the thing denounced as a "bedroom" except for the mattresses, sitting on rusty frames, lined up in rows. But even the sleeping quarters looked somehow absent, all tidy and neat. The sheets were all white and stiff, as if their occupants never even touched them._

_As for the room, it might as well been a prison. The floor was made of tiles, which consisted of bland shades of gray. As for the wall... nothing but a disturbing hospital white._

_Deciding there was nothing else to do, he clicked his trunk open and began unpacking into the small space provided. And since he didn't have that many personal items in the first place, there was really no reason to worry. The small space suited him just fine. As he set it down and clicked the lock back, the door creaked open from across the room. There, staring back at him, was a boy a few years older; he was tall and gangly with auburn hair that stood in every direction, as if he'd just woken up. The unfamiliar boy stopped in his tracks, a look of surprise overwhelming his face. The look changed, however, stretching into a smug grin. "I haven't seen you around here, before."_

_James responded to his remark with silence._

_He began to approach, taking long, confident strides. Pushing himself from his knees, James started towards the window. It was only natural that he was overwhelmed by the other kid's random entrance. The fact that the younger orphan was ignoring him did not phase the redhead. Instead, he sat on one of the closest beds to the window that James was facing. It creaked with the sudden shift of weight, and the boy atop it made himself comfortable by crossing his legs Indian style. "Bein' new here, there are probly some things you should know."_

_"Really? Like what?" James asked timidly, pressing his palm to the glass. The storms were really beginning to get worse, he noted. Any second now, and it would be raining._

_"I don't like t'be blunt, but..."_

_The chesnut haired boy craned his neck to glare in suspicion. "What?"_

_"The old folks all want the same thing. They never want us." the redhead spoke vehemently. "They all jump at the chance to adopt a baby. No, never the older kids. Never _t_he ones that remember their real parents, or the ones that've been here all their lives. Never."_

_The young genius let this information soak in. The storm outside was finally beginning to unleash its wrath, sending sheets of water pounding on the roof and the side of the building, including the window pane. He could feel the tremble of droplets spraying past the layer of glass. His fingertips curled slightly._

_"Is that the truth?" Any ounce of hope that James had ever possessed began to drain._

_"Kid, you ain't never gettin' outta here." There was a long span of time where neither of them spoke a word. James just stared at him intently, locking eyes. Lightning struck outside, illuminating the room in an ominous manner, including the redhead. _

_It was then he knew that the other orphan spoke the truth._

* * *

The repercussions of Jimmy and Sheen's late entrance did not go unnoticed by the older Estevez. In fact, he was nosy as ever, asking all sorts of questions concerning why they took so long; where the vegetables were, what trouble they got into, etc. But like any good teenage boy, they kept their mouths shut. It was better to give no answers. What lie could they possibly tell to cover up for what had happened? There really was no plausible explanation. Therefore, they let Mr. Estevez go stark raving mad, marching around the house demanding to know what occurred while they were out. Nothing went said by the two sixteen year olds. Face red, he grounded both boys. Jimmy made no protest. As long as he was living under their roof, he would abide by their rules, as well.

The morning of the aftermath, the genius tentatively walked into the kitchen only to find Mr. Estevez reading a newspaper. Peering up from the newspaper, he sighed and set it down, taking a long sip of coffee. "Have a seat, Jimmy," spoke the older man with his heavy, Spanish accent. Gulping, he obliged and pulled out a chair. "Listen... I want you to understand I'm still very upset about what happened last night. But, I know where both of you are coming from. You're afraid to tell me something. That's very typical of teenagers. I was one once, after all," he chuckled lightly at the memories he was recalling. "I just want you to understand that I'm here for both of you. You don't have to tell me anything, which I doubt you will, but I'm always looking out for you."

He paused thoughtfully, and then added, "You're a good boy, Jimmy. You seem smart. If I say so myself, you're like my own miho. You're a son to me." A smile broadened on his face. It only made Jimmy feel worse for not opening up to him last night.

"Thanks for understanding, Mr. Estevez. I won't let you down again." Awkwardly, a small smile set on his own face. That was a promise he intended to keep.

* * *

"Libby,_ help me_."

"What's your problem, girl?" she asked, lifting her eyebrow as Cindy practically clung to her arm.

"Nerdtron's my problem! He won't leave me alone!" Looking around nervously, she peered back at her friend for advice.

"What do you mean he won't_ leave you alone_?"

"He's been following me around all day like some sort of creepy stalker. I swear, watch him pop out at any moment and--"

"Hey Cindy!" a cheerful voice came from nowhere. Jimmy waved from a couple feet away and raced to catch up with the duo. The towhead visibly cringed at the sound of Jimmy's voice. Libby just snickered.

Deciding to mess around with Cindy, she leaned over and whispered, "I think he likes you."

"So, what'd I miss?" Jimmy asked. Cindy gaped visibly and smacked Libby on the arm, astounded that her best friend would even utter such a thing.

_"Nothing."_

"Oh, there's definitely _something_ going on," the African American burst out in fits of laughter. "I'll leave you two alone... I have to get to math, anyway." Winking discreetly towards her best friend, she snuck off right before the other could insist to stay. _'Dammit, Libby!' _she cursed. There was an awkward moment of silence as the two walked side-by-side, not knowing quite what to say.

Finally, the boy spoke up, "Do you want me to carry your books for you?" He flashed a grin, his blue eyes lighting up. _'He looks so... cute,' _but she quickly tried to erase her thought, shaking her head no. "I insist..." Cindy fought the temptation.

"I'm capable, thank you."

The smile quickly fell from his face at the refusal. She hated seeing the guy look so pitiful, but at the same time, she didn't know why he was going to such extremes just to hang out with her. Why go to all the trouble of stealing her purse? He wasn't using the blackmail for anything good, like humiliating her. Instead, he was using it as a way to get closer to her; the girl who had, just weeks ago, made his life a living hell. Something wasn't right.

She decided not to question it. In fact, she was somewhat relieved that he'd chosen to use her this way. It wasn't as terrible as she thought it would be.

Just as she got used to Jimmy pacing alongside her, she was knocked by someone from behind, spilling all her books. "Son of a-- ugh!" Both of them lunged for the scattered textbooks at the same time. Just as she put one hand on top of her Science book's binding, another pale hand touched hers. She blinked. Jimmy Neutron's warm fingertips accidentally brushed across her knuckles. A deep blush creeped up her neck and face. Hurriedly he picked up the rest of the books and handed them to her.

"Er, I'll, uh, I'll see you at lunch." Embarrassed, he stood up and quickly left her alone in the hallway for the first time that day. Tucking her books under one arm, she stared with wide eyes at the hand that had just made contact with Jimmy's. Then she groaned and slapped her forehead.

"I did_ not _just blush."

Once a safe distance away, Jimmy thought in bewilderment, _'Did I just experience de ja vu?'_

* * *

After the moment Jimmy shared with Cindy, he was keen on giving her more space than before. It was all a bit too weird, even for his standards. He sighed, not really wanting to dwell too much on it. Instead, he attempted to focus on his English teacher, Mrs. Bradford, as she wrote on the board. His interest slowly began to wane. Eyes drooping and shutting close, his mind drifted to another place entirely...

_James Neutron swung open the front school doors, letting the rainy, cold air caress his cheeks. He was usually one of the last people to leave school, not wanting to confront the obnoxious crowds. It felt good to be outside. Halfway through the process of opening his umbrella, a figure caught his eye. A girl with long, brunette hair stood staring out into space. She was leaning against a column attached to the structure of the verandah, providing shelter from the front of the school. "Betty? Why are you still here?"_

_Turning around to face him, the corners of her lips curled upward. "Just waiting for the storm to clear up a bit. I have to walk home."_

_James looked at her, then towards the expanse of the dark sky. "I don't think it's going to clear up anytime soon. Do you want me to walk you home? I have an umbrella." He gave a half-hearted motion towards it. _

_"That would be great, Jimmy! Thanks so_ _much! You really saved me this time." James was a bit thrown off by the use of his nickname. He rarely heard it considering no one called him Jimmy except her._

_"No problem," he said as he stretched open the metal structure and held it so it stood above Betty's head._

_"I'm not going to walk under here by myself," she said playfully. "I don't want you getting wet at my expense." Truth be told, James didn't mind if he got soaked, as long as Betty was warm and dry. He decided to play along, though, to keep her appeased. They stood arm to arm and began to walk, following whatever directions the girl gave him. Otherwise the trip was silent. Deciding to say something, James cleared his throat._

_"Hey, Betty?"_

_"Hmmm?" _

_"Doesn't Nick usually give you a ride home?"_

_She paused for a minute, as if deep in thought. "Usually. But today he had more... important things to do."_

_"Important?" James asked, furrowing his brows. "Such as?"_

_"He gave some other girls a ride today. Tells me he needs to keep his options open," she pushed some of her hair behind her ear. Her smile twitched a bit, but didn't falter. Instead, it took on a sadder look. "Enough of that, though. Where's _your_ girlfriend, Mr. Suave?" James laughed out loud at that remark._

_"You of all people should know I don't have one. I'm the loser, remember?"_

_"With the way you act, you should have one." He kept his gaze lowered to his shoes hitting the concrete, but he could feel himself jumping inside. Every once and awhile, he would glance over at the girl next to him, making sure that she got the majority of the protection from the umbrella. Every minute or so, he would inch a little further away to allow her more space, that way she wouldn't get wet, nor would she be aware of his actions. After a couple minutes she was completely out of the rain, but she had little time to protest. They had both reached her house. James observed the cozy one-story, taking a mental picture. It wasn't that big, but it didn't need to be. The warmth radiating from it made it look like the perfect family home._

_It was just the way he'd imagined it to be._

_He escorted her up to the front porch, and she finally turned to face him. "Thank you for walking me home, Jimmy." Betty stood there for the longest time, studying every feature of his face. James was fairly sure it was pale and damp from walking in the rain, save for maybe his nose, cheeks, and ears tingeing pink. "Look at you, you're all wet," she said, disapprovingly. She hadn't wanted to disappoint him, but she'd realized when he started to stand further in the rain. She just chose not to remark on it. Suddenly she ruffled his damp hair, pulling it out of its usual slicked-back style and letting it fall a little into his eyes. _

_"I like your hair this way."_

_He smiled sheepishly. "Thanks." There was a slight pause, then James stumbled to ask her a question. "Uh, Betty... you know what you said about Nick keeping his options open?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Does that mean you keep your options open, too?" _

_Giggling, she pulled her fingers to cup his cold face. The contrast in body heat sent a shiver down his spine. Their faces come closer together, like a magnetic force was drawing them together. The tip of their noses touched. Betty's eyes fluttered close as she pressed her lips against his. The kiss was soft and chaste, but when they pulled away, he could feel a stronger connection between them. Her brown eyes softened. _

_"I'll take that as a yes," he whispered._

Thanks for reading! PLEASE R&R, like I asked beforehand. It really lifts my spirits whenever someone takes time to submit their thoughts. :D

-Krista A.


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